Top Gear UK Endangered Species : Britain�s rarest cars
Ever wondered what our country�s rarest cars are? Last Tuesday we did, and being in our usual industrious mood we contacted car-fact gatekeepers, the Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders.
They sent over immense screeds of data which revealed, after a bit of maths, how many cars of every model and type are taxed, MoT�d and driving around the country. There may be more out there festering in barns or midway through a restoration, but in terms of road legal vehicles, this list is gospel.
So we've picked out some of our highlights, from just twenty running models left, to just one. Click forth to reveal some of the rarest cars in Britain right now...
Words and research: Matthew Jones
20. [/spoiler]
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for Reliant:
RELIANT REBEL
Built to take on the Austin Mini and Hillman Imp, Reliant�s fiberglass four-wheeler came in two flavours � 598cc and 701cc. Trouble was, the diminutive powerplant had to work so hard it was only a shade more frugal than its metal-bodied contemporaries.
20 LEFT ON UK ROADS
19.
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for Maserati:
MASERATI INDY
Named to celebrate Maserati�s victories at the Indianapolis 500, the Indy launched in 1969 to replace the Quattroporte and Mexico. It started life with a 4.2-litre V8 but a 4.8 joined the lineup from 1971. And we still want one.
19 LEFT ON UK ROADS
18.
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for FIAT:
FIAT 125
Ironically, Fiat�s 1.6-litre family four-door is one of the Italian manufacturer�s most ubiquitous cars. They�re still a common sight in Poland, Egypt, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Morocco and countries of the former Yugoslavia, where they were built under license as late as the 1990s. Not here though.
18 LEFT ON UK ROADS
17.
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for Honda:
HONDA Z600
A three-quarter scale model of a normal car, the Z600 was built to slot into Japan�s small-engine�d Kei car class. Even though it�s only 123 inches long, it�ll carry two grownups comfortably. If they're Hammond. We�ve checked.
17 LEFT ON UK ROADS
16.
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for Volvo:
VOLVO 262C
Even Bertone has bad days, as the company�s effort roof-chopping and coupefying Volvo�s 200 series testifies. As well as the new metalwork, the 262C got a vinyl roof and button-tucked leather chairs. Yummy.
16 LEFT ON UK ROADS
15.
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for Mitsubishi:
COLT SAPPORO
Colt�s pony-car-cum-luxo-coupe actually offered something new to the world of automation at its launch in 1976 � frugal engine, compact proportions, aggressive styling and the veloury kind of opulence. But nobody cared.
15 LEFT ON UK ROADS
14.
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for Skoda:
SKODA ESTELLE
Everyone who�s anyone knew someone that had an Estelle. You probably laughed at them. But even though the heated rear screen was used as hand warmer more often than it was a visibility aid, the Estelle was monstrously competitive in rallying during the seventies.
14 LEFT ON UK ROADS
13.
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for Daihatsu:
DAIHATSU CHARMANT
Based on the KE70 Toyota Corolla, the Charmant was given lashings of chrome chintz and vulgar interior options before being hurled into the small executive market of 1974. It failed. Terribly.
13 LEFT ON UK ROADS
12.
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for Porsche:
PORSCHE 914
In the sixties, VW and Porsche decided that they both needed a similar kind of new model and decided to link up. In 1969 the resulting 914 was launched � a rakish VW-engined targa that cost nearly as much as a 911, and it's this version that is dying. They also did a 911-engine�d six-pot (the 914/6).
12 LEFT ON UK ROADS
11.
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for Datsun:
DATSUN SKYLINE
Believe it or not, this it the Nissan GTR�s distant relative. Long before it became a supercar beater, the Skyline spent a period as a soft uber-coupe based on wobbly Datsun Laurel underpinnings.
11 LEFT ON UK ROADS
10.
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for SIMCA:
SIMCA MATRA BAGHERA
It�s a pretty impressive feat that there are any of these Italianate French oddities over here, let alone ten � Britain never officially got the Baghera. Those three-abreast front seats are pretty cool, though.
10 LEFT ON UK ROADS
9.
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for Vauxhall:
VAUXHALL VICEROY
Billed as a luxurious version of the Vauxhall Carlton, the velour-lined 2.5-litre Viceroy was enormous, inefficient and a bit of a minger. The Queen was a fan, though � she had a one-off estate version to carry her Corgis.
9 LEFT ON UK ROADS
8.
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for LADA:
LADA 1500
There was a time when you could bet your last quid there�d be a Riva gently decaying within 500 yards of anywhere in Britain. These days you�ve got a better chance of running into a Vauxhall Viceroy than the 1500cc variant of this Russian-built saloon.
8 LEFT ON UK ROADS
7.
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for DAF:
DAF 55
You know those CVT transmissions you get in Honda hybrids? This is where they got the idea from: Dutch manufacturer DAF. The durable �Variomatic� gearbox helped the now-scarce 55 achieve a respectable 17th place during the 16500 km London-Sydney Marathon in 1968.
7 LEFT ON UK ROADS
6.
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for BMW:
BMW M1
Finally, a decent car. This is what happens when BMW and Lamborghini team up � a hand-built mid-engine supercar that goes like stink and starts in the morning. 455 were made between 1978 and 1981, which makes it one of BMW�s rarest ever models.
6 LEFT ON UK ROADS
5.
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RENAULT 15
Who would want a coupe version of a Renault 12? Which is precisely what would-be buyers said to themselves as they walked past the dealerships.
20th October 2012
Top Gear UK Endangered Species : Britain�s rarest cars
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